LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1648, 15 January 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

t ;,..;,,:/;..,♦ ';■■':';■ : -^;', ; ; > While working op a railway, truck i alongside the Union Coi's steamer HaUpiri , at Onehunga on Saturday morning, a • waterside worker named • Poter Siebert . slipped mid fell between the wharf and ■ the steamer. :In his fair he struck some i object, and was rendered unconscious. A • young man , named Dan Murdoch/• who ! was driving' a winch aboard' tho' vessel, . heard the splash 'and >'jumped- on ,'to the wharf. ■' He learnt froin some men there that Siebert; had fallen into the'Vater, and without hesitation dived in to his . assistance.' -'Murdoch had little'difficulty in securing .tho drowning man, .who was floating • f aco down, and before long. tho rescuer was able to swim with -his bur- . den'.to the! wharf.- steps, .where, .willing hands pulled both men ashore.' The -second 1 officer of the Haupiri; rendered .first aid; I and ordered,,'the removal of. Siebert-, to i Dr. Trcsiddetfs .surgery'.in. Queen-Street f Mr. Murdoch, whp is an expert.swinimor,' .' has on several occasions previously, ■ rescued people from drowning in tho.Mana- ', kau; On one occasion when tho Tnka- ■ puna was trading to Onehunga he. dived ! overboard in tho dark, to tho•; assistance ! of a passenger lyho fell into tho harbour. Tho Commercial '"Bank" of' Australia, j- which opened,in Wellington.on.October 1,, last year, ■ contemplates extending operations, and Mr. C. -Ei7 Carr, siib- . inspector or the Melbourne office, arrived ■■ in Auckland' on Sunday' last;. and .will , open .a branch -of j the'; bank in that city . at an.carly date. ■ . '■'-~ • -.-.:.;-,.; l;-:. : ' i Tho, Custom's -tariff in its relation to tho lcathcr.and boot' Industries-is to be discussed 'at a;, conference; wljich,*is to open, iii, tho Customs 'Building on Tuesday hexti. •'Between twenty ,and'thirty representatives -, frdiii"Various ■ parts of the Dominion are expected to.'atcendv The va'rious'-.branc'hes .represented , will' bo:— Boot, manufacturers, boot importers; boot Vctailers' iyhoaro not'importers/'tairners, : and; curriers, • and emiiloyoes. in 'the boot and leather,trade. -The.conference .has been : convened, in accordance ..'with; a promise .'made during last /session -ci Hrliament.by. the: Hon.' F. M; B. Fisher (Minister for Customs). Waited .upon :py a deputation of boot manufacturers, which asked for an. increased .duty.,in of )their,';iiidustry, the" Minister' promised to| colli together representatives', of all branches of the trade,-so that,'the matter might be fully discussed. The conference will probably conduct's its' ; proceedings ,in private., : ,'-,.,: .;■..-..-.■ .7 :'.'-''.. .'.,,':., .7'' '• An .unfortunate mishap, in the sinking of the yacht' Mystery, occurred'during the progress of the North Shore Yacht Club's regatta at' Auckland on Saturday. The' yachts Mystery; and Zoe 1 were among tho competitors/in on© of the classes .for tuck stern centreboard yachts,- and rounded North Head in .close proximity-to.each other,'- Soon after, they came; into collision,' the. Mystery ..filling, and .sinking.,.-,. An e'ye-ivitness ,of „ the accident states that the mishap occurred when tho two boats jibed... The Zoe's boom Iwcamo caught ,in the'forestay of tho Mystery, and ..the two vessels were locked together, Soon after the Mystery went .under.' ' The Zoo is owned byvMr. Qarlick, of Parncll, while tho Mystery, which had a crew of.six on board, is tho property of Mr. H. B. Martin. , All the trew: .were picked up safely. ; • A small open sailing boat, manned bv Mr. Trendallr-tha: owner,' ; ; Mr,-' C; T. Beasley, Iwtli of Cheltenham, capsized off Cheltenham Beach, Auckland; on Saturday morning. The pair set out from tho beach on & fishing excursion, but when about half a mile.from shore the boat, which was carrying a large spread of canvas, was struck by .a- sudden squall, and turned turtle. , Fortunately/ .the accident was' noticed by those on the bcaoh. And two' boats! were hastily commandeered for tho occasion by some bathers! who lost no time in going to the rescue. . Both the yachtsmen were good Swimmers, and no difficulty was_' experienced ~ in 'bringing them and their boat back to the shore; Mr. T. Shields.wil] bo in attendance at To Aro Baths to-day at 3 p.m., and urges parents : who are desirous of having thwr children taughtj (gratis) tho art of Swimming, .to avail ■ themselves of this opiKirtunit}'. '.'." ..." ', ■ , ' Some misconception seems to have arisen in regard to the ! manufacture and Salo of matches' in this Dominion. The: Phosphorous Matches Act, .1910,. prohibited the use of yellow or white phosphorous, in the match-manufacturing -business after January 1> 1912, Merchants and retailers were allowed twelve' niCnths'' gracei in which to get rid of existing stocks. To mcot tho provisions of the Ac(, Messrs. i Bryant and May, Bell.and C 0.,. Ltd., the well-known New Zealand, manufacturers, immediately brought out■ a.special nonpoisonouS; wax vesta, which has been and is now procurable thtoughout Ne# Zealand. Tho now vesta' is said to be most suitable for household and -smokers' use. Tho inanufacturors claim that it is not only the equal of the, previous article in every respect, but that it is mado from perfectly harmless materials. Tho improved Vesti is absolutely non-poisonous in manufacture; and, what is'equally importan, is so in'use. , The contractor for the construction of tho tunnel at tho Lake Coleridgo hydroelectrical works,;has been notified by the Public Works Department that his contract will bo terminated unless he pro: ceeds, with the work more speedily, and unless certain matters aro altered. If the hitherto unblemished veracity of a Feilding resident, who corresponds with a reiwrtcr on this paper is still sound, the voracity of at least ono fowl in tho district in question is-something , to marvel at. The story runs that a youth on a local farm was engaged in cleaning a liicyclo. Ho had taken tho pinchine- to pieces, but when putting , it together again lie could not find a certain nut and a pieco of his lamp. For two days those articles were missing, and they were then located in tho orop of n fowl. Tho fowl died suddenly, ami a post-mor-tem held by the owner resulted in tho resurrection of the nut and tho lamp-fixing from the inside of tho bird. In addition to tho parts of tho bicycle, two horse-shoe nails, wero found in tho fowl.'' With rcferenco to a suggestion- thrown out,some time bock, that a military tournament similar to the one-just field in Cliristchuroli between, tho various companies of senior cadets, bo' arranged, it is stated that some of the captriins aro taking stops in this matter, but' nothing is | definitely settled yet.

Preaching at the Lydiard Street Church, B Ballarat, on Sunday night (January 5), the Rev, S. J, Hoban said, thore wore many parents who wished to select husG bands for their daughter—their desire was to see them marry money or posii tloii. Ho would, houover, appeal to t mothers not to attcmiit the business of . choosing husbands for their (laughters. It had not been done for themselves, and ', their daughters did hot want it. Ho" did not blame them for this, for they had to fc live with, the num. "Unless," said Mr. . Hoban; "there is an affinity between the j two, happiness is impossible." / A small boy about ten years of age, . who was exploring the. steps and landing at the' end of tho Railway Wharf, Auckland, on Saturday afternoon, missed his r footing on tho slippery concrete, and fall i into tho water. There were a number of 3 people on the wharf at tho time, and Mr. . J. Mathiesou, ono of tho.City Council's [ foremen, immediately threw off his coat 1 and jumped in foet first after the boy, t with whom ho.strum'back to tho (steps. 8 The youngster' oppeacd little the worse j for his dip, for as soon as opportunity .- offered ha took to his heels anil mado for , homo with all speed, much to tho amusec ment of tho crowd. Mr. Mathieson was - heartily cheered as he cemoup on-to tho ; wharf.—Auckland } The catching of seals and sea otters in j certain parts of the,-? Pacific Ocean has j been prohibited, by arrangement-between' the Governments of Great Britain, the 1 United States, Japan, and Russia. When - tho convention was drawn up, it was pro--3 vided that the prohibition sliould not bo [ extended to a self-governing dominion , except by consent.! The Federal Govcrn- -; ment hns now beeh i «sked to permit of " the extension to Australian waters, and an. ) order has been issued bringing the Im- ' perial Act into operation in the Commont wealth,. : '..-.. >/ ,'■ j "-, "Restitution-Hnclosed pleasei find JBlOi"' , written in small characters in,the centre * of a large sheet of foolscap, and enclosed ! : in a large, official envelope, formed part j of the mass of correspondence which the fc Deputy-Ppstmaster-General-dealt, with on , reaching his office,\\in Melbourne, on 3 January 3. It is rarely, indeed, that the 8 conscience of an individual is' smitten to 5 such art extent as a note; Mr.'' 3 Brighfe explanation is 1 that .someone' has"got atfHhe Department for. the amount,, but the ill-gotten wealth has so preyed (in the mind.of tho person concerned that'he has sought relief from his '.'mental, agony" by-restoring'the money to his Majesty's Treasury, , '■■/' r' ..-